CITY TO REQUIRE FOOD TRUCK PERMITS

It’s going to get more expensive for food trucks to set up shop in Del Mar.

After putting the kibosh last fall on any more business licenses for the increasingly popular mobile eateries until City Hall could come up with new rules to govern them, Del Mar will soon require food truck operators to secure $350 annual operating permits — in addition to a business license.

The City Council approved the new rules in April. It OK’d the new fee by a unanimous vote without discussion Monday night.

It could be worse. Just up the road in Encinitas, city officials in September began requiring a special permit and $1,600 fee for events involving food trucks, essentially killing a “Food Truck Fridays” festival on Highway 101 a few weeks after it was launched.

That’s of little solace to Christian Murcia, who owns Curbside Bites and has organized food truck nights throughout the county. He said the new rules and new fee will essentially kill what was a burgeoning food truck scene in Del Mar.

“There are so many other cities to operate from in San Diego County, it’s just not worth it for a city that small,” he said.

Food trucks became a hot topic in Del Mar after six trucks began gathering for Murcia’s weekly Food Truck Night in October at Seaview Parking Lot off Coast Boulevard. Some people complained about noise and trash, as well as what they said was unfair competition with nearby restaurants.

The new rules and the additional fee take effect May 15. Under the guidelines, the mobile eateries are allowed to operate only in commercial zones or on private property and only between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., except for private catering events. They also have to pay the city any sales taxes collected while operating there.

Operators also have to control smoke and odor, serve food on environmentally friendly materials, provide trash bins, and ensure that restrooms are available nearby.

Del Mar is basing its $350 fee for an operating permit on estimates of how much staff time it will take to process an application.

Other North County cities also have updated regulations for the mobile eateries over the last several months in response to the food truck fad across the region and the nation. Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista have loosened their food truck rules.

Murcia conceded that food truck nights can siphon business from restaurants nearby, but added, “We’re drawing people to an area that people are not normally drawn to.”